Aegon Championships 2017: Edmund suffers defeat, but Tsonga, Dimitrov and Berdych ease through
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Updated 19/06/2017 at 19:28 GMT
Kyle Edmund lost 6-7 6-4 4-6 to qualifier Denis Shapovalov in the first round of the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club in London.
Denis Shapovalov of Canada (R) shakes hands with runner up Kyle Edmund (L) of Great Britain following their mens singles first round match during day one of the 2017 Aegon Championships at Queens Club on June 19, 2017 in London.
Image credit: Eurosport
Canada's world number 193 Shapovalov played some fearless shots against the British number two, breaking in the 10th game of the third and deciding set to complete his victory.
It was a measure of closure for Shapovalov after the Canadian teenager accidently walloped French umpire Arnaud Gabas with a ball in anger in the Davis Cup in February that saw the 18-year-old default the match and left the match official needing surgery to repair a fractured eye socket.
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga qualified for the second round with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Adrian Mannarino.
Tsonga defeated fellow Frenchman Mannarino in straight sets, demonstrating why he arrived at the tournament as the number fifth seed.
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Tsonga hits stunning backhand winner after somehow staying in point
In sweltering temperatures, Tsonga took the first set 6-2 as he prepared for the tournament at Wimbledon, and made light work of the second set, winning by the same score to defeat Mannarino.
Mannarino, ranked 62 in the world, had started brightly, swapping breaks with Tsonga, but once the world number 10 found rhythm in his groundstrokes and his opponent needed a time-out in the first set for treatment to his back, it proved a straightforward win.
The key game was the marathon eight-deuce sixth in the opening set which finally saw left-hander Mannarino surrender his delivery for a second time after Tsonga had eked out six break points.
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VIDEO: Kyrgios suffers nasty fall that ends Queen's hopes
Tsonga will be content with his first match since suffering a four-set defeat by little-known Argentine Renzo Olivo at the French Open.
The loss to the world number 91 Olivo had been particularly disappointing for Tsonga in light of his three-title season during which he also reckoned that becoming a new father had helped provide him with fresh inspiration on court.
Yet even while never needing to find top gear in the sunshine, the two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist demonstrated why he could still be a threat on the grass at 32 as he dismissed the challenge of the man who had beaten him in Monaco in April.
Tsonga faces either Gilles Muller or Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round.
"It was a good match. I played pretty well. I had to play my best tennis to get over him," Tsonga said. "I sweated a lot."
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Tsonga: I'm happy to be at Queen's again, the grass feels good!
Grigor Dimitrov made light work of American Ryan Harrison, with the sixth seed defeating Harrison 6-1 6-1.
Dimitrov, who has shown signs of rediscovering his 2014 best when he won Queen's, was in imperious form, reducing Harrison to such frustration that the American landed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after smashing his racket against his foot in the second set.
Top seed Andy Murray opens the defence of his title on Tuesday against fellow Briton Aljaz Bedene.
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Grigor Dimitrov: I did everything well today
Queen's is live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.
Results from the Queen's first-round matches on Monday
- Donald Young (U.S.) beat 9-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) 7-6(3) 0-0 (Kyrgios retired)
- 6-Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) beat Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-3 6-1
- 5-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) beat Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-2 6-2
- 7-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 7-5 6-3
- Denis Shapovalov (Canada) beat Kyle Edmund (Britain) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4
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